Contrary to popular belief, A Clockwork Orange was never banned in the UK. The BBFC classified it as an X-rating in 1971. When first released, many people in Britain were disgusted by the film as the sexual violence was considered to be extreme. Throughout 1972 and 1973, several violent crimes in Britain were said to be influenced by the film. These included an old man beaten to death in an underpass, a sixteen year old boy wearing Alex's uniform beating up a younger boy and a young woman raped by men chanting 'Singing in the Rain'. With pressure on director Stanley Kubrick to ban the film, Kubrick withdrew A Clockwork Orange from British cinemas in 1973. He said that the film would only be allowed to be seen after his death. During the 1980's and 1990's, the only way in which British fans could see the film was if they ordered it on VHS from other countries, usually France. In 1993, the Scala Cinema club in London screened the film without Kubrick's permission. At Kubrick's insistence, Warner Bros sued the Scala club causing them to become bankrupt and eventually close. Stanley Kubrick died in 1999 and the movie was re-classified with an 18-rating by the BBFC. A Clockwork Orange was eventually re-released in British cinemas in 2000 and released on VHS and DVD in the UK later that year.